Novius knew that Cylix was going to give the Ring of Ice King to Gabriel, but other than that, even he didn't know what was inside the box.
He didn't know what was in the scroll that could make Gabriel so stunned.
Gabriel was someone who was accustomed to controlling his emotions, at least on his face. He rarely showed what he was thinking, but in this case, even he failed, mostly because even he didn't know what he was feeling.
All he knew was that there was sadness in his heart... Extreme sadness as if he had lost something fundamental.
Curious as to what was in the scroll, Novius also stepped forward to see himself just what it was.
Soon enough, he got a clear view of what Gabriel was looking at, even he
On the scroll, there wasn't any skill or any mysterious artifact map. On the scroll, there was only a simple painting that Cylix made with his own hands.
He could see another portrait. "He made his portrait himself... I can see it."
The portrait depicted a beautiful sky filled with stars. Right under the stars, there was a beautiful green field. Three people could be seen sitting there.
On the left, there was Cylix, who still had a kingly look. He was in the same set of clothes that he wore when he met Gabriel for the first time. On the right, there was Novius, and in the middle, there was Gabriel.
In the painting, all three of them looked really happy... Gabriel could also remember the scene that was depicted in the painting. It was from the night right before his battle with Cylix.
He still remembered the instance where Cylix and Novius were bickering like kids, which had made him smile. That smile was depicted so beautifully by Cylix.
It wasn't just a painting for Gabriel... It was a piece of history that Cylix thought was worth saving... His history that he was always going to cherish.
Under the portrait, there were only a few words written. "Always with you."
"That night... was indeed beautiful..." Gabriel muttered as he closed the scroll. He kept the scroll in his Spatial Storage, protecting him from ever being harmed. This piece of history... He was never going to lose it as it was a part of him now.
The family that he had made within the last month... It was precious as it taught him that he wasn't alone. No matter how hard the journey ahead was going to be, he had the legacy of Cylix and Novius! He had to survive at any cost, no matter who the enemy was!
After keeping the box back in his storage space as well, he looked at Novius. He was the last person here, but sooner or later, he was going to be gone as well.
"Stop looking at me like that. I am not dead yet," Novius rolled his eyes, understanding what Gabriel was thinking. "And at the rate you are healing; I doubt you'll succeed anytime soon. So get better fast. And start by eating all your medicine!"
****
War was on the horizon for the City of Abadon. The army of the Two Churches had already gathered around the city, completely surrounding it from every side.
Even the City of Abadon had finished its preparation for the war, at least as much as they could in this situation. Now all that was left was to wait for the invasion. The City of Abadon couldn't fight until the enemies were inside the city. They didn't have the first move advantage.
"Their numbers increased even more," the maid informed Lambard about the number of enemies outside.
"It seems they are almost ready in that case. There should be no more reinforcements coming for now. It should start soon."
Lambard was sitting near the window, drinking his favorite tea. "How sad... The peace in this city that I worked so hard to maintain is going to be gone. Even if we won this war, they might come with even more help from other Churches. What a headache... Exactly the thing I was worried about."
"The only way to stop this from happening again is by striking fear in the heart of the Churches!" he declared. "This is one war we can't lose... We must destroy them... Destroyed them overwhelmingly," he stated. "We can't allow anyone to escape either. You understand what I'm saying?"
The maid nodded. "Yes. If anyone managed to escape, they could bring more help, even informing them of our secrets."
"Yes." Lambard nodded. "Information about what will happen shouldn't go outside the city. If we can kill the forces of both the Churches this time, that might bring some peace back. Even if the other Churches found out that we destroyed the forces of Two Churches, including the Holy Priests, they would think twice before attacking us, wondering how we did it."
"Even if it's the Churches, they won't attack something they had no information about. Fear is a powerful tool, after all. Either that or they will strike with even more force. Even though I doubt it'll be the latter, we can't ignore the possibility."
"What a mess indeed." He rubbed his forehead after returning the teacup to the maid behind him. "All because of that boy."
"I thought the kid with the Origin Element would bring me more Artefacts and more influence, but all he brought for me was this headache. People are right. Even if you give a donkey the greatest of skills, it'll always be a donkey. Skills can't change intelligence."
"I should've seen it coming... I let myself get too excited by the appearance of the Origin Element..."
Even though Lambard was so close to this war, he still couldn't get his mind off Gabriel.
"Do you want me to bring him back after this war so you can punish him?" the maid asked Lambard.
"Yeah. No matter what happens in this war, I certainly want to meet the boy personally. I really have to 'thank' him for this favor after all," Lambard stated sarcastically. "Maybe we'll be able to trade one of the High Priests of Light in exchange for the kid. We will see..."
Oooooo~
Lambard had just finished speaking when he heard a warhorn, signaling the beginning of the battle. The sound of that warhorn was heard all around the city.
The commoners who lived in the city hid inside the houses while the mages readied themselves for what was to come.
The sky above the city started turning dark as roars of thunder spread far and wide, all thanks to a High Tier Spell cast by the Holy Priestess of Thunder, who took the first attack!
Thousands of mighty Lightning Bolts came crashing down, enough to destroy any city at once!
